


Legends of the Hidden Temple: Sith Edition

by SubMeowchineGun



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, I have no idea where I'm going with this, I recently fell into the Star Wars Pit™ and now I love all of these nerds, I'm playing fast and loose with canon, buckle in kiddos it's gonna get stupid, tags to be added as they come up, this has nothing to do with the actual 'Legends of the Hidden Temple' i just wanted a snappy title, this is honestly very self indulgent, this might pretend to be serious but it's really just silly at heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-17 15:23:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9331358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SubMeowchineGun/pseuds/SubMeowchineGun
Summary: "You could start by running into the Hall of Falling Doors. Push up each barrier, and it might lead you down a staircase and to the Holocron Chasm. Here, you must choose your next path. You could leap across the Chasm, retrieve the Holocron, and ride the rising pedestal up. Once there..."Darth Maul was right: the temple on Malachor did hold the key to defeating the Sith. Though in the many years since the end of the Jedi-Sith war, and the rise of Darth Bane's line, there wasn't anyone who still knew what exactly that was.





	1. Chapter 1

“I will handle this. You take the holocron. place it in the obelisk, activate the temple, gain the knowledge you seek.” Ezra and Maul both paused, looking down at the fight below them. As they watched, both sides struck and parried, neither gaining the upper hand.

“I'll meet you at the top,” Ezra nodded at him, and ran back to the stone platform that would take him to the top of the temple. Maul, in turn, leapt down to join the fight against the remaining Inquisitors. His landing pushed them back, and with the momentum from his sudden appearance, Maul pressed the attack even more. He stepped back when Ahsoka took an opening he had created in the larger Sith's defense, and when his now-broken lightsaber fell to the ground, Maul dealt a fatal blow across his midsection.

He fell, and the Zabrak and Togruta turned to where Kanan was fighting the last Inquisitor. Saber damaged, and now outnumbered, the Inquisitor abruptly turned, and jumped off the ledge of the temple. He flew a little ways with his lightsaber, before the damage to it proved to be too much, and with a scream he dropped out of the air, falling into the darkness at the temple's base. While Kanan and Ahsoka stared over the edge after the Inquisitor, Maul looked at the top of the temple.

“Where's Ezra?” Kanan asked, and Maul didn't answer him immediately, his eyes narrowing where they were locked at the apex of the pyramid. Something was wrong. The Inquisitor's had been dealt with, leaving Ezra more than enough time to have reached the Obelisk and inserted the holocron by now. There was no reason for him to hesitate, and the weapons system should have activated immediately. Behind him, Kanan stepped closer, repeating his question angrily.

“Where is Ezra?!” Kanan demanded, grabbing at his shoulder and roughly pulling it to turn him around. Gaze now forcibly pulled from the temple's peak, a dark expression crossed his features, before he quickly smoothed his expression once more. When he pulled himself from the Jedi's grasp and faced him and Ahsoka, all that remained was a frown and slightly furrowed brow. Kanan glared back at him, and Ahsoka greeted his silence with a suspicious look. Maul felt the Jedi's patience wearing thin through the force, Kanan's usual control stretched thin by the entire situation and Maul's presence both.

“I sent him ahead to use the holocron,” he began, “However, I fear something has gone wrong.” At this he felt a spike of fear and worry from Kanan, before it was cut off by the Jedi tightening his grip on his emotions. Ahsoka still eyed him suspiciously, but he could feel the faintest undercurrent of concern from her as well. Without discussion, the three began to make their way upwards, forgoing the platforms they had used before in favor of force jumping the now much shorter distance to the top. They easily kept pace with each other, until they were almost to the top, and Kanan pushed himself further, landing on the level surface a few moments ahead of Maul and Ahsoka. He ran ahead of them and hesitated just before the entrance to the chamber.

“You guys can feel that too, right?” Kanan asked cautiously. “What is that?” Maul and Ahsoka stopped just behind him, reaching out with the force. Both of them abruptly coming into contact with... _S_ _omething_ just ahead of them. Ahsoka frowned, tentatively reaching out and placing a hand on the temple wall.

“It isn't coming from the temple itself,” she said. Her and Kanan looked at Maul expectantly. He didn't seem to be paying attention to them anymore, eyes closed and brow furrowed,. They could feel his force presence extending out towards the Something, trying to feel an edge or crack in the wall it created between them and the inner chamber, and presumably Ezra. Looking into the chamber physically was no help either: a dense fog filled the room, starting about a yard from the entrance, completely obscuring their view. Finally, Maul opened his eyes, expression pensive.

“I can find no break in it.” Maul murmured, almost to himself, “It is completely surrounding the interior of the chamber.” He looked into the room himself, and frowned at the fog that blocked their path. “I can feel nothing inside of it, either.” Kanan shifted on his feet restlessly.

“I can't feel Ezra anywhere. If he came here like you told us,” at this, Kanan turned an angry glare to Maul, “Then he's gotta be in there!” A cool mask slid over Maul's expression, but his eyes blazed with anger at the man.

“Yes, I did tell him to enter the chamber,” he said through a sneer, “But I cannot sense him. As I'm sure you've noticed as well.” Kanan clenched his fists at his sides, and Maul instinctively tensed in response. Ahsoka quickly stepped in before things could escalate any further.

“Maybe this fog, whatever it is, is clouding our ability to sense anything,” she interjected calmly. Kanan and Maul both refocused their attention onto her instead of each other. Kanan relaxed marginally, and Maul forced his rising frustration with the Jedi back.

“That is... possible,” Maul finally said, consciously unclenching his jaw.

“If he's in there, we'll find him.” Kanan strode into the chamber, hesitating for only a moment before stepping into the fog, quickly disappearing. Maul and Ahsoka shared a look, and he motioned after Kanan.

“After you, Lady Tano.” Ahsoka gave him a wry look. She centered herself in the force, following Kanan's lead, fading from view into the fog. Maul gave the spot where they had disappeared a considering look. With a few short steps, he walked in himself, disappearing as well.

* * *

 

Ezra could hear the sounds of the fight, even as the stone elevator took him higher. When he crossed the threshold into the chamber, an unnatural silence fell, drowning out the clash of lightsabers below. In the center of the chamber stood what he assumed was the obelisk Maul had mentioned. He began to jog over to it, but faltered when even his footsteps made no sound in the room. Experimentally, he stomped his right foot. The action produced a muffled tap, but it was brief, and nothing like the echo such a large room should have. When a brief scan of his surroundings revealed nothing except for the imposing looking stone shape in the middle of the room, he shrugged and ran to it.

Up close, the obelisk was even bigger than it had looked from a distance. He pulled the holocron out and examined the empty space in the structure. There didn't seem to be anywhere to put the holocron. He held the holocron up to look at it more closely. Maybe there was something on the artifact itself that would give him a clue?

As he held up the holocron, the obelisk finally reacted. Ezra jumped as a humming noise suddenly filled the air, and electricity flowed between the two stone prongs. He looked between the obelisk and holocron a few times in surprise. Then, carefully, he held the holocron out and into the gap, flinching preemptively, expecting the electricity to leap to his fingers. Instead, the holocron was pulled from his grasp, suspended in the empty space of the structure, the current wrapping around it. He quickly pulled his hand back, just in case, and for a moment nothing happened.

“Really?” Ezra groaned. “Don't tell me there's some kind of –,“ his complaining was cut off as the floor rumbled beneath him. He crouched to maintain his balance, and a strong gust of wind blew his hair back when the obelisk and the ground around it started to sink, the grinding of stone filling the air. He turned to jump back up to solid ground, but found that he had sunk much farther than he'd thought. Already the floor of the room he had been in was a good two stories above him. Still, it sank further, and when it finally stopped, the light from the room was a small square above him.

The only light around him was from the obelisk, electricity sparking around the holocron still. There weren't walls he could see, the current providing only dim light a few feet from the obelisk before fading into the darkness. Ezra pulled out his saber and lit it, holding it above his head to throw it's glow as far as possible. He took a few steps away from the light, and was relieved to see a wall and a set of stairs, circling the shaft the lowering floor had created. From what he could see, it went all the way back up to the top, and the grip of anxiety around his chest eased with the promise of a way out. Exit secured, Ezra walked to the far side of the obelisk to investigate.

“AH!” On this side, the walls of the shaft were gone, and Ezra walked off a ledge he didn't see, falling forward, stumbling to right himself. While he flailed to regain his balance, eerie red light filled what he could now see was a room, coming from seemingly nowhere. When he finally stood upright again, he could see that the ledge he'd stumbled off had be a short set of steps leading into a circular room. He deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back onto his belt.

“Well,” he said to himself, “This place is just full of fun surprises, isn't it?” He glanced back up the steps; the obelisk was still there, emitting a soft light in the darkness of the shaft. With the added light of the room, he could vaguely make out the staircase behind it if he squinted. At least there hadn't been any doors closing behind him. He wouldn't put it past this place.

“Alright temple,” he sighed. “What do you have for me now?” This new room was round, with a domed ceiling. The walls and floor were covered in strange symbols, like the ones he and Kanan had found covering the monoliths on the surface. They were interwoven with a pattern of lines, leading to the center of the room where a sizable pool was inlaid, flush with the floor. The edge of the pool followed the curve of the room, the shadow of the ceiling directly above it obscuring it's depth, and he cautiously approached. When he stood at the edge, he realized what he thought was the dark reflection of the ceiling was actually the water itself; it was a dark, cloudy black, constantly shifting beneath the still surface.

“Oh, great, I found the ancient Sith pool room,” Ezra huffed, “That helps me _so_ much!” He left the pool to examine the edges of the room.

“Come on, there's gotta be, like –, ” he ran his hands along the symbols on the walls, tapping the ones on the floor with his shoes. “A switch or something, right?” Once he'd made a circuit of the room, he sat on the floor by the pool with a sigh.

“Or there's not a switch, and this temple is a whole lot of _nothing_ ,” he grumbled. “Where the pfassk is this supposed 'key to defeating the Sith' that Maul was talking about?” In frustration, he kicked a small piece of stone, that probably used to be part of the ancient ceiling. It bounced, falling into the pool with a small, melodious 'plonk'.

“I should get back upstairs, there's obviously nothing here...” With another sigh, Ezra pushed himself up. As he did, he didn't notice the ripples in the pool intensifying instead of fading. The cloudy sediment that was gently swirling in the pool before now roiled aggressively, twisting and churning in on itself. Ezra froze a couple feet away from the pool when he heard the unexpected sound of something wet slapping against stone. Haltingly, he turned his head to look back at the pool.

Reaching out of the black water, a ghostly pale hand grasped at the stone rim of the pool, nails digging furrows in the stone as it slid back towards the water. Ezra remained frozen, eyes wide, until the hand disappeared into the depths.

“FORCE!” Ezra yelped, as suddenly the hand reappeared, flailing. He fell backwards trying to turn and face the pool, scuttling another foot back from the disturbance as another hand joined the fray. He watched with wide eyes as they scrabbled at the edges of the pool, leaving a wealth of scratches in their wake. He sucked in an involuntary breath when bubbles broke the water's surface, and the hands flailed somehow even more frantically. When the bubbles stopped and the hands slowed, his gut twisted.

“Aw, kriff, I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?” he hissed, and scrambled forward. He grabbed each hand by the wrist, wincing when they immediately latched on to him and the thing's nails dug into his skin. Then he pulled, planting both feet against the edge of the pool for leverage. This turned out to be unnecessary, because it took him barely tugging upwards for the rest of the person connected to the hands to come flying out of the water. They landed on him with a wet slap, knocking the breath out of him. He pushed them to the side, and they began coughing and gasping for air. Once he'd sucked in a breath to replace the one he'd suddenly lost, he reached over and gave the figure a solid smack between the shoulders, and they started coughing up lungfuls of the black water.

Ezra grimaced at the sight and knelt to avoid the worst of it from getting on him. Though, looking down at himself, he was already pretty thoroughly soaked on his front. He took in the slight, shivering figure, long dark hair obscuring their face as they coughed up impossibly _more_ water. They were dressed in a thin gray robe, which clung to their almost skeletal frame. As they coughed, the figure pulled itself further from the pool, until finally they were only taking labored breaths, stopping halfway between the water and the steps leading to the obelisk. Slowly Ezra stood, approaching the still kneeling figure carefully.

“Uh, hey, hi, are you, uh –,” Ezra fumbled over his words, unsure how to deal with this situation. He _totally_ pulled mysterious people out of hidden pools in Sith temples all the time, please, who do you think you're talking to? “Are you, uh, okay?” The figure groaned and raised it's head, hair parting just enough for Ezra to see a slice of their face from their left eye down. They frowned at him with a single, eerily luminescent orange eye, somewhat reminiscent of Maul.

“No,” they told him, voice rough from coughing and petulant. “I am most certainly not 'okay'.” The rasp of their voice sounded painful, and Ezra winced sympathetically. He looked away awkwardly, not really sure how to respond, and the figure shivered, teeth chattering.

“Alright, yeah, okay, that's fair,” Ezra muttered under his breath, “Oh, hold on, here!” He shrugged off his jacket, offering it to the shivering mass of wet hair and robes. They eyed him for a moment, then tentatively took the jacket and put it on, pulling it around themselves as tightly as it would go. They slowly stood up, still shaking, and pushed away the wet hair still hanging in their face, revealing a matching eye and a sharp, gaunt face. Without his jacket, Ezra could feel the slight chill of the room better.

“We should probably get out of here,” he announced. The figure nodded, and Ezra had to catch them when they took a step and almost collapsed. They growled in frustration, gladly taking the support of their arm over Ezra's shoulders, and his arm around their waist. They took shaking steps up the stairs with Ezra, completely focused on putting one unsteady leg in front of the other.

“I'm Ezra, by the way,” he added as they reached the obelisk. The figure looked up from where they had been focusing on their own feet, and Ezra realized that they were only a little taller than him, maybe about Sabine's height. They looked thoughtful for a minute before answering.

“I am – Vida,” they rasped haltingly, pausing to cough against a raised fist. A little bit of the black water ran from the corner of their mouth, and they wiped it away, grimacing. Their shivering was a little better now, and Ezra gently leaned them against the obelisk so he could reach for the holocron.

“Alright Vida, nice to meet you. Just one sec, and we'll be out of here.” He grabbed the holocron and pulled, but it didn't budge. Why wasn't it coming out? He pulled again, harder this time and with both hands, but it didn't even shift in place. While he frowned at this new problem, Vida sighed.

“Here, child,” Vida said, and reached out to place a hand over the one Ezra still had on the holocron. It came loose with a little resistance, the electricity clinging to it until it was completely free of the obelisk. Ezra stared at the now-freed holocron in his hand, and looked up with surprise at Vida.

“Uh, thanks,” he said. “How did you know to do that?” Vida shrugged, and both of them braced themselves against the obelisk as it began to rise once more. He shoved the holocron into a pocket for safe keeping.

“That idiot Bane was always obsessed with the number two,” Vida grumbled in their scratchy voice, putting a hand to their throat at the strain of talking.

“Ooooookay,” Ezra said, confused, “We can get to that later, I guess.” In almost no time, they were back where he had started at the top of the temple, and Ezra looked around in confusion; where there had been an open, empty chamber before, there was now a dense fog surrounding them and the obelisk. It was thick enough that he couldn't see more than a few feet into it, the ambient light in the room bouncing around inside of it and giving it a sinister glow. Wordlessly, he gathered up Vida, helping them stand without the support of the obelisk. Their energy seemed to be fading fast, and they were sluggish to move, leaning more heavily against him than they had before.

“Hey, c'mon, just a little farther,” Ezra encouraged, disguising his unease with confidence. Vida mumbled something incoherent in reply, drooping eyes narrowing in concentration as they stared at the fog. They raised a shaking hand and Ezra automatically tensed, expecting the worst. Vida waved their hand, and he felt some kind of manipulation through the force. Then the fog receded from around them slightly, and began to thin. Vida almost collapsed against him then, and Ezra staggered under the sudden weight.

“Hey hey hey! Don't do – whatever it is you just did! I don't know if I can carry you out of here myself!” he scolded, readjusting his grip. For as thin as they were, Vida was surprisingly heavy as dead weight, or close to it, their head lolling against his shoulder. They still shuffled their feet forward when he took a step though, so at least there was that. He looked back to the fog, which had retreated a few feet, and thinned just enough that he could make out a vague shape that could have been a person. Vida felt him tense, and made a questioning noise, struggling to lift their head and open their eyes, managing to raise it off of Ezra's shoulder and reveal a sliver of orange for their trouble.

Ezra grabbed his saber from his belt, holding it ready as the shape drew closer. The closer it got, the stronger a faint noise he hadn't noticed before became.

“-Zra? Ezra!” Kanan's voice came out of the fog, and Ezra almost dropped Vida he relaxed so abruptly. Tightening his hold once more, he clipped his saber to his belt and smiled, starting forward with Vida in tow.

“I'm over here, Kanan!” he yelled back, and Vida groaned at the sudden loud noise in their ear. “Oops, sorry,” Ezra apologized quietly.

“Friend of yours?” they asked, sagging against him, letting their eyes slip closed again. Ezra smiled and nodded, too focused on moving them both towards Kanan to notice Vida's lack of attention. With the both of them moving forward, Kanan came into view quickly, spotting his padawan almost immediately once he was.

“Ezra!” Kanan rushed to him, relief plain on his face, “Are you okay?” He looked him up and down, only now seeming to notice Vida, “Who's that?” He eyed them suspiciously, and Ezra hesitated, unsure how exactly to describe what had happened.

“Please tell me they aren't another 'ex'-Sith lord, Ezra,” Kanan deadpanned, and Ezra snorted a laugh.

“No!” He paused. “I mean, I don't _think_ so.” Another pause. “Um, maybe?” He gave Kanan his most winsome smile. The Jedi frowned down at him and Vida, crossing his arms. Behind Kanan, Ahsoka and Maul emerged from the fog in quick succession. At this point, Vida was barely standing, their head falling off of Ezra's shoulder, chin propped against their own chest. The fog had thinned even more, reduced to a thick mist now, and they could make out the edges of the room with some amount of clarity. The gazes of all three adults resting askance on him now, Ezra's smile began to crack.

“Well, I kind of saved them from drowning?” When their expressions didn't change, Ezra rushed through a hasty explanation of what had happened after he placed the holocron in the obelisk.

“– and I know I didn't get what we came here for, but I couldn't just leave them down there!” Ezra finished. Kanan placed a placating hand on his free shoulder.

“It's alright, Ezra. I understand, and for what it's worth, I think you did the right thing.” Ezra look up at him, confusion plain on his face.

“What? But the whole reason we came here was to find a way to defeat the Sith!” he argued. “And I couldn't find anything!” Kanan was about to reply when his comm went off, shortly followed by Chopper beeping urgently at him.

“Woah, Chopper, buddy, slow down!” Kanan answered, taking it from his belt. Chopper did not, in fact, slow down, beeping angrily at him in response. “A TIE fighter?” Kanan cursed. “Alright, Chop, head to the rendezvous point for pick up, we're on our way,” he cut the comm and turned to address the group.

“We've got company on the way, so we need to leave, _now._ ” Kanan ordered, slipping into command mode, and looked to Ezra. “Can you carry them that far?” Ezra nodded, his expression determined.

“Don't worry about me, I've got 'em.” Kanan nodded, and with a nod to Ahsoka and Maul, they started to make their way out of the temple.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> feat. Anakin "Extra AF" Skywalker

 

The group stepped out of the chamber together, Kanan leading the way. Maul walked next to Ezra, eyeing Vida's almost limp form with careful consideration. The padawan was managing to shoulder their weight for now, though it was clear it wouldn't last for long. Vida's energy, and Ezra's, were both quickly and visibly waning. Ahsoka brought up the rear, watching the path behind them; the fog, still thinned, seemed to follow after them as they moved. They all looked back when the sound of a ship's engines became audible, and through the open space of the chamber, through the entrance on the other side, they could see a TIE sinking into view through the doorway.

A dark figure stood atop it, a red lightsaber in hand.

Darth Vader jumped off the ship, his force presence flooding around them like a suffocating cloud. He landed, crouching, and slowly stood, his menacing breathing filling the silence between them. Kanan moved to stand between Ezra and Vader with his saber drawn, and Maul and Ahsoka drew theirs as well.

“I see you have failed to unlock the secret of the temple,” Vader's deep voice carried easily to them, the Sith calmly walking towards them and casually looking around. “Though I cannot say I am surprised, given your lack of training.” Vader's voice and the humming of their lightsabers was apparently enough to stir Vida. They managed to lift their head, squinting over Kanan's shoulder to see. Ahsoka stepped forward, assuming a battle ready stance, and Maul stepped up beside her. Vader, though his helmet shielded his face from view, seemed to focus on the woman.

“It was foretold that you would be here. Our long awaited meeting has come at last.” Ahsoka gripped her dual sabers tightly, a corner of her mouth quirking up.

“I'm glad I gave you something to look forward to,” she replied. Vader paused, considering. Her, the Jedi and padawan behind her, and Maul at her side. His focus shifted back to her.

“We need not be adversaries. If you give me the Jedi, the Emperor will show you mercy.” The small amount of amusement on Ahsoka's face immediately gave way to a determined frown.

“I thought I knew who you really were, under that mask,” Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. “But my master could never be as vile as you!”

“Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him.” At this point, Ezra and Kanan were looking between the two in confusion, Maul doing the same in dawning realization.

“Then I will avenge him!”

“Revenge is not the Jedi way.”

“I am no Jedi.” Ahsoka launched herself across the space separating her and Vader, the clashing of their sabers echoing loudly off the walls. Maul, in turn, leapt forward into the fray to join her. Between the two of them, they managed to hold Vader on the defensive. The trio circled around the room, and Kanan stood indecisively in his spot in front of Ezra, reluctant to leave him alone while he was still burdened with Vida. A well placed force push sent Maul flying, and he skidded along the floor towards them. He rolled to a stop just next to Ezra, and pulled himself up, snarling. With Maul's absence, Vader pushed his own offensive against Ahsoka, forcing her back towards the group. With a quick side-step and another push, he sent her flying as well, and she landed at the opposite side of the chamber from them, groaning as she attempted to right herself.

Kanan strengthened his stance, holding his ground in front of Ezra as Vader advanced. Just as Maul was about to reenter the fray, the temple shuddered all around them. Vader paused, and the floor beneath their feet rumbled, dust falling from the ancient stone around and above them. The fog, almost completely gone at this point, flooded back in again, slowly rising from the floor. Behind them, they heard the engines of the _Phantom_ rumble as Chopper landed on the ledge around the outside of the chamber.

“The temple's collapsing, we need to go!” Kanan yelled. He and Ezra turned towards the ship, when Ezra was halted by a harsh tug at his belt. He and Vida almost went flying towards Vader before Kanan grabbed hold of him, Ezra in turn covering the pouch holding the holocron with his free hand. Vader stood with one hand raised, focus aimed entirely at Ezra.

“Kanan!”

“I know, I've got you!”

Through all of this, Maul's intense gaze stayed on Vida. Their eyes were no longer open, instead closed under a brow furrowed in concentration. They seemed unaware of their surroundings, and practically hung off of Ezra limply. A battle cry drew Maul's attention, and he looked just in time to see Vader turn towards Ahsoka, who leapt from where she had fallen and struck a blow against his helmet, before she hit the ground, rolling towards the group. With his concentration interrupted, Vader's grip on the holocron cut out, and Kanan again started pulling Ezra and Vida towards the ship. Maul waited, watching, as Vader knelt, covering the gap in the face of his helmet with one hand.

“Ahsoka.” Vader's voice, no longer mechanized as it had been before the breach of his armor, drew the Togruta's attention. She turned where she still lay on the ground to look at him. He dropped the hand over his face, revealing a slice of a pale face and a single yellow eye.

“Anakin,” Ahsoka whispered in shock. She stood, facing him, and Vader rose to match her. Maul became very aware of the temple walls lowering, and mentally gauged the distance between him, the shuttle, and Vader. The fog continued to rise, now at waist height and quickly creeping higher.

“I won't leave you, not this time!” Ahsoka squared her shoulders and stared into the one eye she could see. Vader stared back, an unreadable emotion passing over the portion of his face that was visible.

“Then you will die,” Vader replied, igniting his saber once more, advancing towards her.

“Ahsoka!” Ezra yelled, and Maul made a split-second decision. Clipping his saberstaff to his waist, he raised both hands, using the force to grab Ahsoka, and pulled her towards him as hard as he could. Not expecting this, the Togruta was immediately launched backwards with a yelp. Vader yelled in frustration, and started running after her. Ahsoka flew through the air rapidly, and Maul realized he didn't have time to move out of the way. He grit his teeth and took a step back, bracing himself for the inevitable impact. He did his best to catch her, but she still hit him with enough force for them both to go flying. Luckily, they flew right into the hold of the shuttle where Ezra, Kanan, and Vida were waiting. Maul landed on his back with Ahsoka on top of him, her shoulders pushing the breath out of him in a grunt.

“Chopper, go!” Kanan yelled at the front of the _Phantom_ , and the astromech whomped in response, pulling the ship away and closing the door. The last thing they saw was the fog rising and enveloping Vader's form, and the walls of the temple lowering completely. Vader's force presence abruptly cut out as well, and it's last echo physically shook the walls of the shuttle in it's rage. Ahsoka grabbed Kanan's outstretched hand, letting him pull her up and off of Maul with a groan. The Zabrak grimaced where her elbow dug into his ribs, and righted himself on his own.

“Woah!” Ezra suddenly staggered under Vida's now limp weight. Kanan helped him set the slight figure upright on the bench between them. As everyone settled into a seat, Ezra looked around at all of them.

“Well, that didn't go half as bad as it could have!” Kanan looked at him in disbelief, and he met it with a wide grin. Kanan's serious expression quickly cracked, and he let out a breathless laugh, covering his face with a hand. Ahsoka chuckled tiredly, and when Ezra looked, even Maul had a grin twisting one corner of his mouth up. Ezra let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, slumping where he sat.

“You are correct, Ezra.” The teen looked up when Maul spoke. “I believe, however, that we _have_ retrieved what we sought on Malachor.” At his look of confusion, Maul turned his gaze to Vida's slight figure, nestled unawares between Jedi and padawan.

“Vida?” Ezra asked, “How is a person the key to defeating the Sith? I-I thought it was some kind of weapon, or a force technique!” Kanan frowned. He and Ahsoka each looked at Vida, assessing them.

“He's right, Ezra,” Kanan began, “You found this person sealed inside a Sith temple, one that supposedly hasn't been opened for hundreds of years! We have no idea who, or what, they are!” Ezra frowned back at him.

“Well whatever they are, Vida helped me get out! If they hadn't helped me get the holocron out of the obelisk, I might not have made it back up in time!” He retorted. Ahsoka reached to Vida with the force.

“I can't feel the dark side from them,” she offered, and tilted her head.

“See?” Ezra demanded.

“I can't feel them at all.”

“Yeah – wait, what?” His and Kanan's heads both swiveled to stare at her. “What do you mean?” She glanced between the two of them, eyebrows raised.

“I mean, that they were a weak presence before, but now they don't have any force presence to speak of.” She glanced at Maul, who nodded.

“Yes, I had noticed that as well,” he murmured, looking at Vida like they were a puzzle to be solved. Kanan closed his eyes and focused, laying a hand on Vida's shoulder after a moment.

“You're right,” he finally said, “I can't feel them at all.” Ezra tried to feel Vida himself, and found... nothing. There wasn't an empty void in space, like he would have expected, but a smooth section of ambient force that blended imperceptibly into the area around it. If he was looking with just the force, it's like their body wasn't even there; just him, an unoccupied section of the bench seat, and then Kanan.

“Well that's... not normal. Is it?” Ezra looked to Kanan for confirmation, and he shook his head.

“It isn't,” he confirmed. Silence settled over them. The three adults all sat, deep in thought, and Ezra fidgeted awkwardly. Kanan broke the silence after a few agonizing minutes for Ezra, who silently thanked the force for the interruption.

“There isn't any way for us to get more information right now. We'll just have to wait for Vida to wake up,” he said, eyeing them, “That might be a while, if they're as bad off as they look. We don't know how they got into this shape, or how long they've been like this.” He and Ezra watched the barely visible rise and fall of Vida's chest. They all sat in silence once more, waiting for the ship to arrive back at base.

* * *

 

Their flight back was uneventful. Ahsoka had slipped into a deep meditation at some point during the ride, and Maul had done much the same, both of them sitting with legs pulled up onto the seat and crossed. Kanan, still distrustful of Maul, split his time between watching him and the still sleeping Vida. Ezra's fatigue caught up to him, and he spent the last half of their journey dozing. When Chopper loudly beeped their arrival, the sound jerked Ezra awake. He practically jumped out of his seat, and almost slipped off the bench in his haste to right himself. Maul simply opened his eyes, uncrossing his arms and returning his feet to the floor. Ahsoka opened her own eyes as she felt the ship maneuvering to land. The _Phantom_ settled on the ground, and shortly after Chopper came rolling out of the cockpit, beeping enthusiastically and waving a manipulator at Ezra. The droid smacked him in the knee a few times to prompt him to move his feet out of his way, and then did much the same to Kanan, ignoring the teen's protests.

“Hey! Quit it, Chopper, you've got plenty of room!” Chopper continued on, slapping at Maul's legs as well, and whomping demandingly at him, when he deemed them too close to the port he was trying to access. Maul's face remained expressionless, but he obligingly shuffled himself away from the port nonetheless.

“Couldn't you have opened the door from the cockpit, Chop?” Kanan asked. Chopper huffed indignantly as he interfaced with the ship, and gave Kanan some decidedly impolite words about not telling him how to do his own job. The shuttle door started to open, and the noise almost drowned out the quiet snort of laughter Maul gave at the droid's retort, prompting an aggravated look from Kanan. Once the ramp was lowered, Chopper eagerly raced out to a waiting Hera, immediately demanding sympathy for the “awful time he'd had” with those “crazy Jedi” on the mission. Once she'd scanned the interior of the ship and confirmed that Kanan, Ezra, and Ahsoka were home and whole, she gently patted the top of Chopper's dome.

“Yes, I'm sure it was just terrible, you big baby,” she said with no small amount of affection. Chopper made an offended noise, and rolled away to go sulk in the base. Kanan stepped down the ramp carrying Vida, their already small form looking even tinier is his arms. Ezra was close behind him, waving at Zeb and Sabine, who had wandered over to stand by Hera as they landed. Maul and Ahsoka followed them out, and the Zabrak looked around, taking in the three figures waiting for them, then the base itself and the area around it. Hera frowned in concern when she saw the figure in Kanan's arms, striding forward and meeting him halfway.

“What happened? Who is this?” She looked past Kanan and Ezra at Maul. “Who is _that?_ ” Kanan shrugged in response.

“It's a long story,” he said, “But right now, we need to get Vida here to the med bay.” He started off towards the base at a brisk pace, Ahsoka coming to stand by Ezra and Maul just behind her.

“So, Ezra,” Hera began, “Are you going to introduce us to your new friend? Or should I say friends?” She glanced back at Kanan, who passed Rex coming out of the base, earning a confused look from the clone at the sight of him carrying Vida. Ezra rubbed the back of his neck in thought for a moment.

“Well, like Kanan said, that's Vida.” He then thumbed over his shoulder at Maul, who was standing behind him and Ahsoka, hands linked comfortably at his lower back. “This is Maul. We found them stuck on Malachor.” Maul raised a brow, but said nothing as he followed the group into the base. Ezra explained what had happened on the planet, with Ahsoka filling in the gaps he hadn't been present for. Rex joined them, briefly clapping Ahsoka on the shoulder in greeting. Though Ezra remained oblivious to it, Maul and Ahsoka felt a mild discomfort in the force from Sabine. The Mandalorian avoided Maul's probing gaze when he looked at her, and after a brief examination understanding dawned, and he tuned back in to where Ezra was finishing his recounting of events. He and Sabine both ignored Ahsoka's questioning glance, and she shared a look with Rex.

“So, that's everything, I think,” Ezra finished, taking a breath.

“Well, I'm just glad you're all back safely,” Hera said, gently gripping his shoulder, “And we can always use more help, if Maul is willing to give it.” Maul was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“As I have already told young Ezra, I have no fond feelings for the Empire,” he said. “Though I believe your Jedi does not... _appreciate_ my presence.” Ezra snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Aw, Kanan'll get over it! Plus, between you, me, and Kanan, any more Inquisitor's will be no problem!” he enthused. Zeb eyed the shorter Zabrak critically for a moment.

“Well, if he's as good against those Inquisitors as you say he is, Ezra, then he can't be too bad,” he concluded, giving Maul a solid slap between his shoulders. Maul stumbled forward a step at the force of it, and straightened back up with a cool look at the Lasat. Zeb was unaffected, and returned the look with a crooked grin. Something passed over Maul's face, and he quickly looked away. Hera just smiled warmly at him.

“Ezra's right, Maul. If he and Ahsoka trust you, then we're happy to have you.” Hera stopped, propping her hands on her hips. “I'm sure the three of you are tired, and since you're here,” she addressed Sabine and Zeb, “You two can help me run diagnostics on the _Ghost_ and _Phantom_.” Zeb groaned, slumping where he stood, Sabine echoing his discontent from his side.

“Aw, c'mon, Hera,” he complained, but the Twi'lek just started back down the hall, and they both followed obediently.

“You too, Chopper!” Hera called to the droid, who had been peeking around a corner, watching them. He gave a startled beep and jolted back with a protesting buzz, but when Hera called his name again in warning, he came rolling into view and after her, grumbling the whole way. The three force users, and Rex, watched them go. Ezra broke the new silence with a large yawn; despite his nap on the ship, he was tired, hungry, and in want of some quality time face-down in his bunk.

“I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna get something to eat, and then sleep for a week,” he announced, wandering off in the opposite direction Hera had gone, and spoke over his shoulder without pause. “C'mon Maul, I'll show you the important stuff before I go pass out. Starting with the cafeteria!” The Zabrak gave Ahsoka a measuring look, before giving her and Rex a restrained nod.

“Lady Tano,” he said, then leisurely followed Ezra. The two disappeared around a corner soon enough, Ezra already verbally mapping out what he deemed to be 'the important stuff' to Maul. Ahsoka and Rex stared after them.

“You sure we can trust him?” Rex asked her. Ahsoka suddenly looked more tired than she had before, the full weight of the days events catching up to her all at once, and she sighed.

“No Rex, I'm not sure.” She looked down, then over at Rex. “But he hasn't given us a reason not to yet. He's right though, Kanan _doesn't_ trust him. We'll keep an eye on him for now, and see where this goes.”

“What about that other one Kanan was carrying?”

“We'll just have to wait and see about that too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmMMMMMM I am ready to get Maul and Vida settled so Maul can start being sassy and Vida can start getting some actual characterization lmao  
> I keep telling myself that I'm making Maul too reserved, but I feel like if he's not antagonistically sassing people or attempting to manipulate them, then he keeps a nice sized verbal/emotional distance from whoever he's talking too, so take that as you will.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyy, I feel like I should apologize for the wait. This is actually the first section of what was going to be chapter 3, and I figured I'd post it just to get something up while I write the rest of the next bit, since this seemed long enough to stand by itself. For some reason Maul would not cooperate, like I literally had to sit down and make a chart for characterizing him he was being so damn cagey >:V I feel like he's gonna be the main source of my problems because wtf even is your motivation stop being so difficult you're just an angry tomato
> 
> Also, WOW I can't believe this got over 100 hits???? You guys are all great! And never be afraid to throw stuff at me in a comment, I'm literally making this up as I go with a small amount of plot, so if you wanna throw ideas at me go for it lmao

After Kanan dropped Vida off at the medical bay, he and Ahsoka reported to Commander Sato; Ahsoka with calm reservation, and Kanan reluctantly agreeing that Maul hadn't done anything but help them, though he made clear his distrust of the former Sith, and distaste for his presence on base.

“He might not have done anything on Malachor, but that doesn't mean we can trust him!” Kanan insisted. He and Ahsoka stood around a table in one of the base's briefing rooms, Sato across from them, with a few other notable figures in the cause attending via hologram. They all seemed to consider this, and after a beat, Ahsoka spoke.

“We don't need to trust him,” Ahsoka began, “Not yet anyways. For now, we watch him, and see what he does. If he's up to something, we'll know.” Kanan seemed to be mollified slightly by this. Debate between the rest of the room continued for some time, but eventually they reached the same conclusion as Ahsoka: Maul would remain on base until he could be fully trusted, or proved to be untrustworthy. Kanan was counting the minutes.

The next few days were more than a little awkward for the crew members of the _Ghost_ that had returned from Malachor. The rest of the crew quickly picked up on the tension between Kanan and Maul, with poor Ezra caught in the middle, attempting to mediate with varying success. There had yet to be any outright, physical confrontation, but the various verbal snipes and jabs made Kanan's dislike of the Zabrak obvious to every other rebel at the base.

Maul had spent much of the day after their arrival secluded inside the room Ezra had shown him to. This made Kanan more suspicious than he already was, and he found every excuse he could to pass by the hallway leading to Maul's room. Sometime around mid-afternoon, Ezra had had enough of waiting for the apparently reticent Zabrak to make an appearance, and decided to retrieve him. For his own good, of course; how were Kanan and the _Ghost_ crew supposed to get to know him if he stayed in there all day? The padawan nodded to himself with finality, and set off.

He happened to pass Kanan on his way, though the Jedi had a frown of concentration on his face and didn't seem to notice him other than an automatic nod in his direction. Ezra paused, watching the usually aware Jedi walk away, then shrugged and turned into the hallway that would take him to Maul. When he stopped in front of the right door, he was suddenly at a loss. What if Maul didn't want to be bothered? There was probably a reason he hadn't come out all day, even to eat. Ezra hardly wanted to force him to come out if he really didn't want to. As he was waffling over what to do, hand hovering back and forth between his and chest and ready to knock, the mechanism in the door gave a faint whir, and slid open smoothly. Ezra jumped in surprise, yanking his hand back to himself as the opening door revealed Maul. They were both silent, and Maul raised an expectant brow at his bewildered expression.

“Oh, uh, hi Maul, I was just about to...” he trailed off, unsure once more. Maul stared back at him blandly, expression unruffled.

“Yes, I'd noticed,” Maul said, voice deadpan.

“What? Really? How?”

“You're very loud, Ezra.” While Ezra took a moment to parse his response, Maul stepped out of the room. Ezra backed out of his way without thinking, and the door quietly slid shut behind him. He followed Maul down the hallway, keeping pace beside him.

“I didn't think I was being that loud...,” Ezra muttered to himself, lagging behind slightly.

“What was it that you needed, Ezra?” He started at Maul's question, and quickened his pace to walk beside him once more.

“Well, you haven't come out of there all day, and I thought.... I don't know, I thought something might have been wrong?” he finished lamely, shooting a vaguely worried look up at Maul. “ _Is_ something wrong?” The Zabrak hummed quietly in response, turning a corner with Ezra in tow.

“I can assure you, your concern is unwarranted,” he replied. As they walked, Ezra noted the direction they were going; while the tour he'd given Maul yesterday had been far from comprehensive, it had included the med bay, which they were heading towards now. Maul seemed perfectly at ease, leading them through the base as if he'd been there for years. They arrived, Maul stepping through the open door with his hands loosely grasped behind him, Ezra close behind. The med bay was brightly lit, and mostly unoccupied, save for one or two rebels whose injuries were enough to warrant an overnight stay. At the end of a row of berths, a curtain was drawn, obscuring the last one from view. A battered medical droid was nearby, tidying supplies in a cabinet; it seemed unaware of their entrance, or maybe just uncaring, since there were no calls for attention from the two.

After a visual sweep of the room and it's contents, Maul strode to the end of the row of berths until he could see past the curtain, where he stopped and observed with a furrowed brow, head tilted ever so slightly. Ezra followed, and when he stopped next to him he could see Vida's unconscious form occupying the berth. Without the robes, their skeletal form was even more apparent: bony arms lay atop the sheet, pulled up to their chest, an IV snaking from one forearm to a bag hanging next to them. They looked even smaller than they had before, nestled in the center of the berth, with large empty spaces on either side. If it wasn't for the soft, steady 'beep' of some machine, and the almost imperceptible rise and fall of their chest, Ezra would have thought they were dead. Ezra glanced up at Maul, the Zabrak's pensive gaze still focused on Vida's unconscious form.

“Do you require assistance?” A hollow, mechanical voice inquired. Ezra looked up to see the medical droid from earlier. It had apparently finished it's earlier task, and now had time for their non-urgent business. Maul's eyes flicked over to the droid.

“What is the status of this patient?” Maul inquired. The droid scanned the berth number, then it's optics dimmed and it emitted a soft buzzing noise as it's processor searched the medical database. The sound warbled occasionally, and the noises commanded Maul and Ezra's full attention at their oddity. With a quiet _ding_ , the droids optics lit back up, and it straightened from the slump it had been slowly falling into.

“Patient 18-461E, Designation: Vida, is in stable condition. The patient was determined to be suffering from severe malnutrition and has been unconscious since arrival. Patient has been placed on supplementary nutrition via intravenous drip,” the droid recited, and Maul's gaze returned to Vida.

“Hmm. Continue.”

“Patient is of indeterminate species, most likely near-human; results of DNA testing were inconclusive. No other data exists on patient,” the droid finished. Maul nodded dismissively.

“That will be all.” At that, the droid wandered away to, presumably, tend to the few other patients in the med bay. Ezra frowned, eyes dropping to the floor in front of the berth. Vida looked worse than they had back on Malachor; or maybe it was just the starkness of their frailty under the med bay lights, now that there wasn't a voluminous robe to give them the illusion of something approaching a healthy shape, rather than the skin and bones they actually were. Neither he or Maul said anything as they stood and listened to the steady beat of the medical equipment and the near imperceptible _drip, drip, drip_ of the IV.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I've said before, I don't really have much of a plan for where this story is going, which is probably why updates take so long. Thank you, everyone, for putting up with me and my inability to write for extended periods of time, you're all amazing and every hit, kudos, and comment gives me strength! ;u; <3

When Vida finally woke up, a week had passed. Their time in the med bay had an almost miraculous effect, and while they still didn't seem to be completely recovered, they no longer looked to be at death's door. The first person to know that they'd woken up was, surprisingly enough, Zeb. He hadn't gotten a very good look at Vida initially, what with Kanan rushing off with them immediately after landing, and with Maul's arrival at the same time, tensions had been high all week. Though he would insist otherwise if prompted, Zeb had completely forgotten that they were even there. It was only when he made a stop at the med bay for a nasty cut he'd received – courtesy of a recent mission – that he saw the curtained off area, and remembered Kanan carrying an unconscious figure into the base. It was while Zeb was studying Vida's sleeping face that their eyes fluttered open with a tired groan. Startled, Zeb watched as Vida squinted at him with a confused frown, before he shook himself out of his surprise.

“Uh,” he said intelligently, and mentally berated himself. What were you even supposed to say to someone you didn't know who'd just woken up from a week long coma? Zeb certainly didn't have the answer, and before he could continue, Vida spoke.

“Where am I?” Vida managed to croak out. Their voice was scraggly and weak from disuse, and an attempt to clear their throat resulted in a harsh coughing fit.

“Ah, hold on!” Zeb rushed to grab a bottle of water from one of the cabinets, unscrewing the cap and offering it to Vida. They straightened a little from where they'd curled up on themselves and took it from him, sputtering a few times before their coughing settled enough for them to properly drink it. Zeb gently patted their upper back until they finished the bottle, and stepped back once they took a deep, gasping breath.

“Better?” he asked, and Vida nodded, breaths now deep, and steadily evening out. They rubbed at where their eyes had watered during their coughing, and looked up at Zeb, who now stood awkwardly next to the medical berth. He shifted from foot to foot, nervously scratching at the back of his neck and glancing around the room while Vida did the same, until the silence was broken once more.

“Where am I?” Vida repeated, and when Zeb's gaze landed back on them, they were staring intently, if tiredly, at the Lasat.

“Oh, yeah. You're in the med bay,” he started, “You've kinda been out for a week. Lemme go get Kanan, he knows more about -,” he waved a hand, indicating Vida and the medical equipment around them, “- this whole thing.” He turned to leave, and was stopped by a surprisingly strong grip on his wrist. He turned back to Vida, who released their hold on him as soon as he did.

“I will go with you,” Vida announced. Their voice was smoother now, though it still cracked towards the end of their sentence, with a new depth that came from their now even breathing. Zeb eyed them skeptically, remembering the bony knobs of Vida's spine under his palm. They looked back, determination pulling the corners of their mouth down into a frown and drawing their brows together.

“I don't know if that's a good idea,” Zeb deadpanned. Vida scoffed, pushing back the sheets and throwing their legs over the side of the bed. They looked especially small in the flimsy medical robes they'd been dressed in, and wobbled enough upon standing that Zeb held out both hands, ready to catch them.

“I am fine,” Vida insisted, steadying themselves with a hand on the bed. The commotion drew the attention of the medical droid, who had been reorganizing the med bay cabinets for the umpteenth time.

“Patient 18-461E, you have not been cleared for release. Please return to your berth.” Vida scowled at the droid.

“I'm _fine_ ,” Vida straightened further, and turned narrowed eyes on the robe they wore. “Where are my clothes?” When the droid moved forward, and it was clear that Vida would not be laying back down quiet and obediently, Zeb sighed and held up a hand to stop the droid.

“It's alright, I'll keep an eye on them.” The droid stopped, and the whirring sound of it's processors filled the space. As it thought, Vida removed the IV from their arm, and the small device attached to one hand which monitored their pulse. They startled as the steady beeping of the machine abruptly turned into a high-pitched alarm, and the droid stepped forward, turning it off with the press of a button. It then bent to open a drawer built into the berth, coming back up with Vida's clothes, clean and neatly folded, which it held out.

“Patient 18-461E, designation: Vida, will be temporarily released into your care,” it's processor whirred again, briefly, “Agent: Garazeb Orrelios. Please return the patient to the medical bay before 1800 hours.” Vida took their folded clothes, and Zeb waved a hand dismissively.

“Yeah, yeah, I've got it,” he said. The droid turned and clanked away, and Zeb watched it go. He turned back to Vida and yelped, slapping a hand over his eyes while spinning back around.

“Karabast, give a guy some warning!” Vida blankly stared at his back for a moment, and dropped the medical robe they'd just taken off, then started pulling on their own clothing. A few minutes later, when the shuffling of fabric against fabric stopped, Zeb chanced a glance back, relieved to find them fully clothed. They wore a layered gray tunic with a darker gray belt and pants, and they were pulling a matching cloak around their shoulders that they left unfastened as he turned fully to face them. The cloak seemed a little big, but with it on Vida's image somehow seemed more complete. Bare feet peeking out from under the edge of the cloak caught Zeb's eye, and he cocked his head, puzzled. Didn't humans and near-humans typically wear shoes most of the time?

“Why aren't you wearing shoes?” Vida looked down at their pale feet, then at Zeb's purple ones, and finally back up to meet his gaze.

“Why aren't you?” Zeb stared, unamused, at their reply. His ears twitched and he let out a quiet sigh.

“Nevermind,” he muttered, and led the way out of the med bay. Vida wobbled slightly as they followed.

 

* * *

 

It took longer than it usually would have to reach the base's common area; Vida was still not quite fully balanced, and Zeb had to halve his normal stride to match their cautious pace. Occasionally, Vida would become distracted by seemingly nothing and stop, and Zeb would have to stop to as well to refocus their attention on walking. Finally, they arrived at their destination, and when Zeb palmed the control panel, the door opened easily. While most everyone on base called it a common room or a rec room, in reality it was a large storage space, converted into something between a training area and an office break room. There were chairs and couches scattered around half of it, and Zeb scanned them for any sign of Kanan. Finding none, he looked to the left of the door, where space had been cleared make room for some training mats. There, he found Kanan and Ezra, the Jedi directing Ezra through a set of katas Zeb had seen him start drilling Ezra in recently. The teenager looked decidedly bored with the repetition, and his face lit up when he noticed Zeb. It took a moment for him to notice Vida as well, and he gaped for a few seconds.

“Vida, you're awake!” At his exclamation, Kanan turned, and the surprise was plain on his face. He shot a look at Zeb as he and Vida walked towards the mats, and Zeb shrugged at him in reply. Ezra clipped his lightsaber onto his belt and jogged to meet them at the edge of the mat he and Kanan were using. Vida swayed on their feet when they stopped, and Zeb eyed them cautiously, waiting for them to fall over. They didn't, and Zeb let himself relax marginally as Kanan and Ezra stopped in front of them.

“Vida,” Kanan began with a friendly, if surprised, tone, “You're awake. Feeling better?” Vida blinked away a dazed look from where they'd been staring at an indeterminate point on the mat, and refocused on him.

“No,” they started bluntly, then stopped, a look of concentration passing over their face. “Yes?” They paused again, rolled their shoulders experimentally, and took a slow, deep breath. “Yes,” they said again, with finality. Ezra seemed amused with the whole display, and Zeb was now side-eyeing Vida. Kanan's expression stayed the same with visible effort, though his eyebrows had broken free and crept up his forehead of their own accord.

“That's good,” Kanan began, and Vida's attention had already started to wander. Kanan's pleasant expression became more strained. “We actually had some questions for you, about Malachor,” he said cautiously. Vida's eyes snapped back to him, and they swayed from turning their head so abruptly, steadying themselves with a hand against the arm Zeb had already extended for them. They let go when they had their balance back and blinked at Kanan.

“Alright,” Vida replied. Kanan blinked back, shocked at how quickly and easily Vida had agreed. He quickly recovered, shaking his head subtly.

“Great, then if you're feeling up to it, I'd like to do that now.” Vida nodded obligingly, and after a brief conversation on his comlink he led them over to the collection of couches across the room. The few people who had been there before had left, and they all settled into well-worn seats. Vida sank into theirs with a tired sigh, and tucked their legs up underneath them, wedging themselves comfortably into one corner of the couch they'd claimed. Zeb settled in a chair nearby, while Ezra and Kanan sat across a low table from them. The teenager opened his mouth a few times to ask Vida a question, and each time Kanan shot him a chastising look from his spot next to him. Ezra eventually gave up and slumped down in his seat, sulking silently with his arms crossed.

A few minutes passed, then the rest of the _Ghost_ crew, along with Ahsoka and Rex, entered the room. Kanan frowned as Maul followed them in, seeming perfectly at ease. Maul gave him an aggressively polite smile, and Kanan glared back, shoulders tensing subconsciously in response. Everyone took a seat, and Kanan pulled his attention away from Maul, and back to Vida. They were looking between him, Ahsoka, and Maul curiously, eyes occasionally darting to the rest of the group as well. Just as he was about to speak, Vida beat him to it.

“Where are we?” Kanan blinked in surprise, and in the beat it took him to gather himself, Ezra jumped in.

“This is our base. After you passed out, we brought you back here with us,” he supplied helpfully. Kanan gave him an exasperated look, and Ezra smiled innocently back at him. Kanan took a quiet breath, and turned back to Vida.

“That's right,” he started, “You've been unconscious for a week. What were you doing in the temple on Malachor?”

“I was trapped,” Vida replied easily. A confused look crossed Kanan and Ezra's faces, and Ahsoka straightened up in her seat.

“How did you get trapped there?” Ahsoka asked. Vida's eyes narrowed, and their nose wrinkled in distaste as they spoke.

“A group of Sith called me there, and then imprisoned me in the temple,” they said darkly. Maul's brows rose at this, and Kanan's expression turned to one of shock, along with the rest of the room.

“What do you mean? If they called you there, why didn't you just not go?” Ezra asked.

“I didn't have much of a choice in the matter,” Vida replied, matter-of-fact.

“How long were you stuck there?” Hera asked, voice gentle and sympathetic.

“What year is it now?” Kanan and Hera glanced at each other.

“It's 3274 by the Lothal Calendar,” she replied, cautious. Vida's hand rose to their mouth in thought, and for a minute they were silent.

“Then it would have been 2260... 2270 LY? It's all a bit fuzzy,” they half-mumbled to themselves. Jaws dropped, and Vida was regarded with looks of shock and disbelief.

“2260 –!” Ezra blinked, staring at the table as he did the math in his head, “But that would have been over a thousand years ago!” His wide eyes darted between the other three force users, “That's not possible, right?”

“Vida,” Kanan began, “Are you sure that you're remembering correctly? If that's true, how are you still alive?”

“This form is tied to the force itself,” Vida said, pushing the fingers of one hand against their chest to illustrate their point. “It cannot be destroyed, to my knowledge, and as long as it remains I am trapped here.” Vida frowned down at where both of their hands were now clenched in the fabric of their cloak. Restraint now worn thin from the effort of remaining silent, Sabine let out a frustrated noise.

“Okay,” she glanced around the room, frowning, “I get that this is all ' _Force'_ stuff,” she raised her hands and made air quotes, “But this is more than a little ridiculous.” No one disagreed, and she continued. “What do you even mean, _this form_? Just –,” she sighed, and rubbed a hand over her face. Zeb, much like everyone else, was still reeling at the idea of Vida having been in the temple for 1000 years. Maul's expression gave away very little, and he had propped his elbows on his knees, fingers interlaced in front of his mouth as he studied Vida intently. Rex gave Sabine a comforting pat on her shoulder, then addressed Vida.

“Why don't you just start from the beginning? You said something about a group of Sith?” he suggested. Vida took a deep breath, and nodded.

“During the Jedi-Sith war, a group of Sith used a very modified version of the _Dwomutsiqsa–,”_ they paused as Ezra abruptly cut in.

“Hold on, the du-woo-what-now?” he questioned, and Vida squinted at him for the interruption. He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact, sufficiently cowed. In the silence, Maul spoke.

“It is an ancient Sith spell,” he calmly offered, “Used to summon a powerful demon.” Vida nodded at his explanation, and when no one else spoke, they continued.

“They used it to rip me out of the Force, and put me into a physical form. The process caused a ripple in the Force that killed them all, but because of the modifications they had made to the ritual, I was trapped in the temple.” They resettled themselves in their seat, hands now folded neatly in their lap, “That is, until Ezra released me.” At this point, Zeb was visibly leaning away from Vida, as far as he could while remaining in his seat.

“Hold on,” the Lasat started, “What does that mean, that you're some kind of demon?” His ears were pinned back in alarm, and he looked wide-eyed between Kanan and Hera. Ezra and Sabine did the same, and even Rex was looking wary. Vida snorted in amusement, pulling their cloak more snugly around themselves and smoothing it.

“No, I most certainly am not,” they replied. “The unchanged version of the spell summons a creature called a _siqsa,_ or 'Smoke Demon'. They already exist on another plane of reality, and need only be pulled through, at which point they can take on a demi-physical form.” Vida paused, giving Ezra an arch, expectant look. He huffed, rolling his eyes with hunched shoulders, and motioned for them to continue. “The difference, or rather one of them, is that _I shouldn't exist_ ,” at this, their face grew severe, “I am not meant to have a physical form, I am not even meant to be an _individual entity_.”

Everyone in the room instinctively tensed; it took all of a few seconds for the four force-sensitives to notice, but Vida's force presence had suddenly and violently returned. The same thing they had felt on Malachor was back, but instead of obscuring and forming an impenetrable wall, it filled the room like a dense cloud, intense enough that even those unfamiliar with the force felt it. Vida glared at them all now, yellow eyes practically glowing.

“Can't any of you _feel_ it?! The wound in the force that even _now_ is throwing everything out of balance!” Vida's voice had risen as they went on, and they were all but shouting as they finished. When none of them answered, Vida visibly deflated, and as they slumped back against the couch, the tension in the room vanished. The abrupt absence of what they now knew to be Vida's force presence was jarring, and they all felt a little off balance in the sudden vacuum. “Of course you don't,” Vida sighed, “It's been that way for longer than you've existed.” The week they'd spent asleep had lent something approaching a healthy mien to them, but now that was gone, and they looked like they were exhausted. Vida took a slow breath and closed their eyes, and the rest of the group exchanged glances. Maul was the one to finally break the silence they'd now found themselves in.

“I had thought you might be the cause of the strange force events on Malachor,” he began, “So, if you are trapped in this form, what do you intend to do?” Vida sighed, eyes still shut.

“I _intend_ to find a way to rejoin with the force,” they opened their eyes again, gazing pensively at the ceiling. “Though I'm not quite sure where to begin. Being stuffed into this meat-suit has made the knowledge of the Force difficult to access,” they muttered this last part, still clearly unhappy with the situation. Ahsoka and Kanan shared a look over Ezra's head. Silently, they both reached out with the force, feeling for any deception from Vida. Brushing against even their now-muted presence was almost overwhelming; Kanan reflexively pulled back, but Ahsoka maintained contact, hovering at the edge of it. She locked gazes with Vida, who made no attempt to either force Ahsoka back or shield themselves from the examination. After a few moments, she withdrew as well, satisfied with what she had found.

“If there is a wound in the force,” Ahsoka said, “Then we need to do what we can to fix it. If we can help you without putting the Rebel cause at risk, then we will, Vida.” Vida nodded, and sat up a little straighter.

“Thank you,” Vida said, and seemed to regain a bit of their earlier energy. “Now, what's this about a 'Rebel cause'?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I don't have a link anywhere on my profile, so if you want to bug me about story stuff I'm over on tumblr as saintlaurscream, and I have art I drew of Vida under the tag "lothtse"


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